The rainiest places on earth

By Adam Biton, Aug 23, 2017

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There’s nothing better than waking up to brilliant sunshine – because the world is your oyster. You pull on your shorts, put on your sunglasses, and you can walk on over to the beach. You could sit in your backyard and read a book or just lay out and enjoy the rays. However, the weather is unpredictable, so you never know when the heavens might open. Normally, it only rains for a little while before you can rock on back outside and take in the sun once more. Unfortunately, there are some places in the world that aren’t like that. Here are the 5 rainiest places on Earth.

San Antonio de Ureca – Equatorial Guinea

Average rainfall: 10,450 mm per year. If you ever find yourself traveling to the continent of Africa, and wish to enjoy the sunshine – a trip to San Antonio de Ureca may be off the cards. This destination is officially the wettest place in Africa, with an average rainfall of 10,450 mm per year. San Antonio de Ureca is located in Equatorial Guinea and lies on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s because of this that there is so much rain. With the mountainous regions and high slopes, the moisture from the ocean gets trapped and creates dense cloud formations which ultimately result in a whole load of rain. Just remember your umbrella.

Cropp River – New Zealand

Average Rainfall: 11,516 mm per year. New Zealand has a bit of a reputation for being rainy and gray – and Cropp River is the wettest place in New Zealand, as well as the fourth wettest place on Earth! Cropp River is rarely visited by the sunshine, and has racked up record-breaking rainfall over the years. In 1989, the Cropp River area received a whopping 758 mm of rain over the course of 24 hours. The rain is caused by the close location to the Tasman Sea and the mountainous landscape, which increases cloud precipitation.

Tutunendo – Colombia

Average Rainfall: 11,770 mm per year. There’s a reason why only 1,000 people live in the tiny village of Tutendo – and that’s because it is incredibly wet. This area of the village experiences not one, but TWO rainy seasons each year. However, the dry season isn’t much better, as they still experience an average of 20 days of rain. The rain is primarily caused by Tutunendo’s location. As the village is close to the equator, the village is inundated with humid and hot weather patterns that fill the area with thick and dense air filled with moisture.

Cherrapunji – India

Average Rainfall: 11,777 mm per year. It’s no secret that India often suffers during the monsoon season, but there are some places in India that experience rain nearly every day. Cherrapunji is officially the second wettest place on Earth and gets inundated with harsh rains more often than not. This area is also the world record holder for the highest rainfall ever recorded in one year – as from August 1860 to July 1862 the area of Cherrapunji was gifted with 26,471 mm of rain! Despite its harsh rain and slippery terrain, the people of Cherrapunji has learned to deal with the rain and even have 500-year-old bridges that are still standing today.

Mawsynram – India

Average Rainfall: 11,871 mm per year. Located just ten miles away from the second wettest place in the world, Mawsynram in India scoops the top spot. Nowadays, villagers have got so used to the rain that they are pleasantly surprised when they have a day without it. However, their houses and farms are built to withstand the constant downpours, and they are able to carry on with their daily lives. The intense rainfall stems from Mawsrynram’s close location to the Bay of Bengal, the equator and the moisture collected from Monsoon seasons. The moisture makes its way over to the village and due to its elevated height, the pressure is perfect for rainfall.

So there you have it… the five rainiest places on Earth! Next time you’re complaining about the weather, just be thankful you don’t live in one of these waterlogged places.